| Stuttering | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Stammering, alalia syllabaris, alalia literalis, anarthria literalis, dysphemia[1] |
| Specialty | Speech–language pathology |
| Symptoms | Involuntary sound repetition and disruption or blocking of speech |
| Usual onset | Sudden, 2–5 years old |
| Duration | Long term |
| Causes | Neurological and genetics (primarily) |
| Differential diagnosis | Cluttering |
| Treatment | Speech therapy, community support |
| Prognosis | 75-80% developmental resolves by late childhood; 15-20% of cases last into adulthood |
| Frequency | About 1% |
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized externally by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses called blocks in which the person who stutters is unable to produce sounds.[2][3]
According to adults who stutter, however, stuttering is defined as a "constellation of experiences" expanding beyond the external disfluencies that are apparent to the listener. Much of the experience of stuttering is internal and encompasses experiences beyond the external speech disfluencies, which are not observable by the listener.[4]
The moment of stuttering often begins before the disfluency is produced, described as a moment of "anticipation" - where the person who stutters knows which word they are going to stutter on. The sensation of losing control and anticipation of a stutter can lead people who stutter to react in different ways including behavioral and cognitive reactions. Some behavioral reactions can manifest outwardly and be observed as physical tension or struggle anywhere in the body.[4]
Almost 80 million people worldwide stutter, about 1% of the world's population.[5]
Stuttering is not connected to the physical production of speech sounds or putting thoughts into words. Acute nervousness and stress do not cause stuttering, but they may trigger increased stuttering in people who have the speech disorder, and living with a stigmatized disability can result in anxiety and high allostatic stress load. Neither acute nor chronic stress, however, itself creates any predisposition to stuttering.
The disorder is variable, which means that in certain situations the stuttering might be more or less noticeable, such as speaking on the phone or in large groups. People who stutter often find that their stuttering fluctuates, sometimes at random.[6]